Requiem for the Forgotten
by Osiris-Ra
Summary: When The Others do make their presence known, their intentions might be far from what was expected.


**Author's notes: **There's theory after theory after theory out there about this show. This is just one of many that I have. I started this quite a while ago and read and re-read it best I could to catch any plotholes. If you catch any, do let me know, I hate to eat crow. :P I figured I should unleash it to the public sometime.

**Characters: **Ana-Lucia Cortez (because she needs more starring roles in fics. :-D) Mr Eko, John Locke, Charlie, Micheal and The Girl.

**Rating: "**T" for somelanguage.

* * *

**Requiem for the Forgotten**

**by Osiris-Ra**

**

* * *

**Ana made her way down another path of the jungle. It looked like many others she'd crossed on her walk. Seemed like one could walk forever in this place. Never ending winding bends of forest that always seemed to lead back to the rest of them some way or another. She could live without them for awhile anyway. Not have to face their accusing stares. Only one she could halfway stand was Eko. But day by day it seemed more and more like he was with them now. 

But that wasn't a right thought. They were all together, no matter how far apart they were.

She stopped and looked around. More trees. More green. More strange smells. More strange sounds. Now her legs were starting to hurt. Just a little longer. Then she'd head back. It wasn't like they'd miss her anyway.

_Up in the trees, one of the figures made a soft noise. The lone woman below stopped at the sound and looked around, alert. The figure in the tree eyed the gun in her pocket. Wondered if it was loaded. The woman looked up in their direction for an instant._

There wasn't anything there. It was stupid to be alone out here. The Others. She knew they were always watching. Always waiting. For what? For what possible reason was this all for? She fingered her gun. Better safe than sorry out here. She pressed on.

_The figure watched the woman as she moved on, more cautiously. _

* * *

Locke examined it closely. It was nothing special. Just a plant. A plant he hadn't seen around there before, but still, a plant. It grew from short, gnarled branches, green and yellow tinted with thick, ripe limbs. One of the heavy leaves bent too far and snapped in his hand. A white liquid came gushing out. He examined the excretment in his hand, rubbing it gently against his fingertips. It soon dried and he could blow it off. It was natural rubber. He looked at the other fauna around him. Hadn't seen these types around here before. Odd. 

A branch snapped behind him. Locke spun around to see Charlie coming through the brush.

"Foraging again, mate?"

Locke went back to examining the trees. He replied wryly:

"Not really. No, now I'm doing my Columbo impression."

Charlie's brow furrowed.

"How's that?"

John rose.

"Just looking around, Charlie. Just lookin' around."

"You seem worried. Is something off, then?"

John glanced at Charlie. He was a bright kid. Watchful.

"No. Not really. Not more than usual."

Charlie, following Locke, got his foot caught in the roots of the plant Locke had been looking at, and snapped several of the leaves.

"Be careful." Locke warned. Charlie examined the white gooey mess on his pant leg.

"Oh, yuck."

Locke grinned. A sour wind suddenly cut through the air, causing both men to look around, suddenly alarmed, and disgusted by a strange smell.

"What the heck was that?" Charlie muttered.

Locke kept quiet. He'd smelled it before.

"Charlie...you ever get the feeling you're being watched?"

"Do I." Charlie concured. Locke kept moving.

"I was walking around a few days ago, I can't remember where, and I thought I heard the faintest bit of a child singing. Did you ever hear anything like that?"

Charlie shrugged. "No. What do you think it was? The Others maybe?"

"Maybe. Maybe something else."

"What something else?"

Locke gave Charlie an unsure look.

"I don't know."

"Have you heard them since?"

"No."

"Maybe it was your head, then."

Locke cleared his throat. "Maybe."

Locke sauntered off into the forest. Charlie followed reluctantly, catching up with John.

"Hey, one of these days some bloke'll leave his boot prints 'round here, tick us all off to where he's hiding, and we'll come'n sniff 'em out, yeah?"

Locke smirked.

"I don't think they'll be stupid enough to let us meet them halfway."

"Maybe, maybe not, you never know. They may be mysterious, but even mysterious people make mistakes."

Locke smiled as he parted his way some thick grass. "Well, I'm sure we'll get 'em when we see 'em."

* * *

Ana sat. Time passed as she loitered in the forest. She kept looking at her wrist out of reflex. If only she had a working watch. Instinct told her it was time to get back. Glaring slightly at pretty much everything going on around her, she rose fatiguedly and set off back where she had came. 

As she walked, she thought of things to do when she arrive at point zero. Try not to encounter too many people...except maybe Jack. He was ok. Sawyer...she could get used to the cowboy. Probably hang at the beach side for awhile. Wasn't really much to do in this situation besides wander. Wasn't a foreign feeling anyway. That kind of emptiness and bewilderment. Where do you go? What do you do from here? You survive, that's what. It's all you can do. Its not playtime. Not now, not ever as long as you're here. You just have to survive. And she wasn't so bad at surviving. She was just lousy at surviving herself.

Then there was another noise. She really should speed it up. It was getting dark. Who knew what crap the island would pull on her this time...

_The figure motioned to the others. It was time now. The woman was getting anxious to get back. And...well, they couldn't let her get back yet. Not without a proper introduction. The figure balanced on catlike foot on the thickest branch, staying close to the looming shadows of the branches and leaves. They stayed motionless, like chameleons on the hunt. Tonight was just like every other night. The Hispanic woman would come down this path, maybe stopping to get a drink at the nearby stream. Then press on. That would be where they'd grab her. The figure in charge of the expedition waited patiently, savoring the moment of the hunt. The others did too. Glancing on, stifling excited whispers and snickers to each other as the woman approached closer and closer and closer..._

And closer.

Ana stopped. She stooped and scooped up a drink from the river. Suddenly, the forest went eerily silent. No sound at all. The tree canopy didn't move. The wind didn't sound. It was like the island had gone on mute. An alarm tripped in her brain. Her hand went for her gun –

- too late. Someone dropped from aboveand smashed down on her neck. Then moredropped like monkeys and converged on her. She writhed in terror and anger, struggling madly with the creatures for dear life. Suddenly, there was childlike laughter and singing. They were singing some god awful, off tune taunt...sounded like...

_"Cortez, Cortez, didncha getcha in mess?"_

A warm arm clamped around her neck and squeezed mercilessly. She gasped for air, only to lose it as the arm tightened, constricting her ability to breathe, gasp or swallow. With each feeble gasp went that ability. Saliva began to bubble out of her mouth, unable to go down. Things started to go black. Slowly, the world caved in, and the sound started to go. _The laughter, that childlike laughter...it all went...fading slowly away..._

* * *

Eko's look was far away. He thought of many things. Home. His family. His old life. It was ironic how he had ended up here.He felt it was almost like he had been chosen. His slate wiped clean so that he may begin anew, and face a new challenge. Face a better chance on his day of reckoning. He lifted his head towards the heavens with a little smile. 

Sayid watched him as he cut away at a peach. Eko was an odd specimen. A little odder than John Locke. Who was he? What did he do, Sayid wondered. That was the hobby of the day, wondering about people. He seemed, in his heart, kind. Yet dangerous. Very dangerous. What was it that made him so dangerous and mysterious? Was it his size? The way that his eyes peered into you, sometimes softly, sometimes sharply? Who could know. Eko's eyes met Sayids, and Eko grinned a little. Sayid returned the grin and added a query:

"What were you doing?"

Eko looked away a bit. He was still listening. But he took his time in his answer for his own reasons.

"Praying?"

Sayid hoped that would strike a note of interest in the gentle giant. He knew a little about prayer too.

"Is that what you were doing?"

Eko turned towards him. His eyes said 'Yes'.

"Do you ever pray?" Eko asked softly.

"I try everyday."

"Do you feel your prayer is answered?"

Sayid thought about it.

"I believe God listens. Maybe he puts our prayers in queue until it's time for them to be answered."

Sayid grinned a bit. So did Eko.

"He is a strange being. Sometimes, He answers prayers quicker than you'd imagine. And in the most...odd...of ways."

Eko smiled big. A little scary to Sayid. He nodded and went towards the forest. Before he was gone, he asked:

"Have you seen Ana Lucia?"

Sayid's expression fell a bit. He shook his head softly.

"No. Why?"

"She's usually back by now. I will find her."

Eko left.

Sayid exhaled.

"Yes. You do that."

* * *

Was the darkness real or in her head? Was she blind? 

Slowly, a room came into focus. Things here and there. Pillows, desks, tables, chairs. Then she was aware that the place was dimly lit. Her hands went for her gun. But it wasn't there. Besides, her hands couldn't reach. They were bound together. Then the gun cocked of its own accord, close to her head.

The figure aimed it at her. He or she was sitting very close. Behind her and coming around. Ana squinted to see, but all she got was a dark figure. Then several more materialized in the background. They were sitting at the table, eating quietly and watching a television set. On the set was a weird, grungy film of a man of Asian heritage, dressed in a lab coat, speaking as if what he was saying had to be listened to at all costs. She heard a muffled: _"Do not attempt to use the computer."_

"He keeps saying that."

A teenager's voice said thoughtfully. "What computer?"

The figure came into better focus. It was a girl, about 17 or 18, dressed in jeans and a large T-shirt stamped with the Oceanic Air symbol. In her hand was the gun, loosely held in a prematurely veined hand. Ana noticed, they were all kids. All in their teens. Strapping for their ages, but teens. They were just kids! Little 14 and 18 year old punks! Ana warily eyed the weapon.

"Hey, be careful with that thing."

The girl smirked.

"Look who's talking."

Ana frowned.

"Who the heck are you? You're kids! What are you doing here?

"Hush your fuss, the answers will come."

The girl headed towards the table, shared a joke with her companions at the table which aroused laughter. Ana tried to get up, but found her feet bound and neck painfully sore. One of the boys came towards her with two pouches of Capri Sun.

"Cherry Berry or Mountain Cooler?"

"I ain't thirsty."

"Suit yourself."

Ana mused angrially to herself. She'd been kidnapped by a group of little punks with the usual bad sense of humor. Oh, they were going to pay, alright. She used to arrest kids like these all the time. Druggies and thugs. Little troublemakers as they were. Surely these kids weren't The Others. Or maybe it was another one of the Other's tricks. She halted in her furious thinking. Somehow, the Others were playing with her. Taking advantage of her aggression. She wouldn't let that happen. Not again. Right now she had to get a dialogue going. See what their beef was.

"Hey! Hey!"

The girl with the gun looked nonchalantly towards her.

"You talkin' to me copper?"

"How do you know I'm a cop?"

"'Cause I'm the great and powerful Oz."

The girl grinned.

Ana remained consistently unamused.

"Who are you little freaks anyway?"

A thought of the children who were with her group in thebeginningkidnapped flashed though her mind. Were they here?

"What's it to you?"

"I kinda like to know these things, is all."

"Well let me be the one to keep you in suspense. You'll like it better that way, believe me. Don't you hate it when someone gives away the ending halfway through the movie?"

The girl swiped a piece of bread from a plate on the table and proceeded to smear it with butter.

"Toast? Oh, sorry, you're a bit tied up, aren't ya?"

The table erupted into snickers. A very hyper bunch, Ana thought. She sank her head back against the wall with an annoyed sigh. Yep, she thought. Should have walked back faster.

* * *

Michael relaxed against a tree trunk and closed his eyes. They were hot and tired. He was overtired. He inhaled the fresh scent of the evening tide and wished away his surroundings for a vision of the comfort of home. A couch. A remote in his hands. A hi definition television screen. What would he watch? Sports. Flip for an action flick. See if there was anything worth watching on the premium cable channels. 

_"Do not attempt to use the computer."_

Damn. It always goes back to that channel. Michael sighed and fidgeted. If only he could block that channel. That scientist's face. He'd try to sleep now. Get to tomorrow.

_"Dad?"_

Michael exhaled. Thought nothing of it. He was getting numb to those voices now. Didn't like being numb to it but he couldn't help it. He hated being devastated.

"Dad?"

The voice repeated itself. Michael had half a mind to cover his ears.

"Dad."

It was more insistent. Michael turned this time. What he saw took time to register. Walt stood there, staring expectantly at Michael, looking more alive than Michael had seen him before. He wouldn't believe it. He couldn't. But there it was. He let the words escape, hoping beyond hope they would be answered for real.

"Walt?"

Walt seemed exanimate. But he responded by approaching his dad and wrapping his arms around him. His arms were warm, just like they'd ever been. Michael returned the embrace, unsure at first. He dug his fingers into the tight naps of Walt's hair, astounded. He held Walt by the shoulders and looked into his eyes, wondering which lie to believe.

"Walt? Is it really you?"

Walt grinned slightly. It wasn't a happy grin but it was there. Dad choked him with another hug, starting to sob. Walt would let him for now.

* * *

Eko examined chips of wood. Ana'd been here. He'd traced her trail back to here where she usually ended up. She never carved anything anyway. Just chipped away at whatever piece of wood she found. Very restless girl. Seemed to always need to be doing something. Eko rose. Now where would she have gone. He studied the forest. She would find her way back, he was sure. But then usually, she'd have made her presence at the beach by now. It would be idiocy to stay out this late. Darkness was setting in. The carnivores were coming out. And this seemed to be prime time for the Others to exercise their magic, performing disappearing acts on hapless wanderers. What if something had happened? What if they were down one tailie? Mr. Eko didn't tend to get frantic or overly worried. He did get concerned. Maybe he'd investigate a little further.

* * *

_"Day of wrath, that day  
Will dissolve the centuries in ashes  
As David and the Sibyl bear witness.  
What dread there will be  
When the Judge shall come  
To judge all things strictly. _

_A trumpet, spreading a wondrous sound  
Through the graves of all lands,  
Will drive mankind before the throne. _

_Death and nature shall be astonished  
When all creation rises again  
To answer to the Judge. _

_A book, written in, will be brought forth  
In which everything is contained,  
according to which the world will be judged. _

_When therefore the Judge takes His seat  
Whatever is hidden will reveal itself.  
Nothing will remain unavenged." _

The girl recited with a hint of melodrama. When she finished, she glanced at Ana with a proud smile. Whatever the girl was conveying was lost on her.

"Interesting, isn't it? '_A book will be brought forth, in which everything is contained, according to which the world will be judged._'"

The girl waited for a reaction from the stoic figure in front of her. Nothing came.

"Don't you think that's cool? Now_** that**_ is God's ultimate 'Screw You.' Everything we do on this earth will be taken down, in a divine scripture, and when the day comes, it will be read, and '_Whatever is hidden will reveal itself. Nothing will remain unavenged._'"

Pleased, she folded the piece of paper she was reading from.

"_That_, is truly amazing. That, is truly, only, in the divine power."

She rose and began to pace in an evangelical way.

"Man has taken it upon himself to become Judge, and Jury. Angel and Devil. Redeemer, and Avenger. But isn't it funny, that after all that, he becomes the one, to be redeemed. Avenged. Judged."

The girls tone changed sharply.

"What power, do we at all have?"

"We have the power to think." Replied Ana.

The girl scoffed.

"Think. You must know a lot about that."

"I know a lot about people who don't think before they act. Hell, I admit, I may even be one of them. Maybe if people thought more about what they did before they did it, they wouldn't be so afraid to be judged. But I digress."

The girl eyes fell on Ana like two cold, hard black stones.

"Do you know my name?"

Ana stared blankly. 'No'.

"No. And you don't know thiers either. And I shouldn't know yours technically. Or Charlie's, or Jack's, John's, Hugo's, Claire's, Kate's, I shouldn't know any of those names. After all, what's in a name? Names can be forgotten. Like they never existed."

The girl tossed the paper before Ana.

"Think about that, if you will."

The girl made her way back to the other kids, whispered something in one of the boys' ears then left the room. The boy came over shortly.

"We're leaving soon. Don't fight us. You won't like what happens."

He spoke softly but sternly. The way he stared at her made Ana feel as if there was something else he was trying to tell her. All of them when they looked at her. Something more that begged for her to understand.

* * *

"Where are we going?" 

Walt pulled at Michael's hand urgently. Michael was getting impatient.

"Walt, come on, we've been walking forever, where are you taking me?"

Walt motioned for Michael to be quiet then pulled aside the large outspread leaves of a large plant blocking their path. As they stepped through, one of the plant's leaves snapped. A thick white liquid bled from it's severed limb.

Up ahead was a medium length clearing, in the center of which was a huge domed structure, part man-made and part renovated by nature. Large dirty glass windows could be seen, nearly hidden from sight under the vines and weeds that crawled and climbed around the structure. It seemed as if time had swallowed whatever the thing used to be. Whatever it was, Michael observed, it was huge, and somewhat imposing, despite it's deplorable condition. Walt made his way around the structure, seeming quite familiar with it, and searching for an opening.

"Walt...? What is this?"

Michael gaped, mouth half open as he stared up at the structure. He half mused to himself.

"Looks like some kind of...greenhouse. Or station..."

Yes, a station. Or a lab. The video. He remembered the Dharma tape. That domed glass structure. Kind of resembling the area inside the hatch. The hatch...Dharma? Was it a lab? Was it something The Others had built? Had Walt discoveredsome part of Dharma? Or...Michael glanced at Walt. Angry suspicion surged into his mind.

"Who are you?"

Walt moved his hands along the side of the wall of the building. Noticing something, he cleared away some of the weeds and vines, to reveal a palm pad built into the wall. He pressed his hand against it. The pad began to glow, then there was a hissing sound of pressure releasing. The door slid back, tearing back the weeds and vines with it. The duo stared into the dark recesses of the dome structure, one with great shock, and one with little surprise written on his young face at all. Walt turned to Michael and replied with the utmost sincerity:

"I'm your son."

* * *

Charlie, half out of breath, skidded to a stop and looked around the ink black forest in a panic. 

"John! John!"

He widened his eyes are far as they could go, desperate to see some trace of Jack's figure. But shadows weren't to be trusted. Something made a noise in the forest. Charlie wished he'd brought a stick or a gun or a knife or something. Damn Jack. Why'd he trust him to be by himself while he descended that hatch? Hatches were no good. He was plenty sure of that. His mind was still reeling over the reality that they had _found_ another hatch. Damn Locke. Always the adventurer. Always the -

_Snap_

"What was that.."

Charlie choked back his panicked voice. They mustn't discover his position. Charlie couldn't move. Couldn't bear to move or make a sound lest something sweep him off his feet and never let him see the light of another cursed day on the island again. The noises became louder and more terrifying. Definitely footsteps. Someone - or something - was making its way towards him! Charlie swallowed his fear and balled his hands up into tight, hard fists. He wasn't going to go without a fight...he hoped.

_Behind him!_ Charlie spun around, swinging a fist which struck a firm blow on the body of whatever was behind him. The creature took the blow noiselessly. Charlie yelled a battle cry and fell upon the hulking beast with all his strength. The creature clamped strong hands - _wait, monsters have hands?_ - around his wrists and pushed him to the ground. Charlie was still yelling and screaming and kicking and trying to flail, then a hand clamped over his mouth and a familiar voice whispered sharply:

"Charlie! Charlie! Be quiet! It's only me."

Charlie opened his tightly closed eyes. They met the slightly amused ones of Mr. Eko. Charlie gulped.

"Echo? S'that you?"

Mr. Eko nodded and put a finger to his mouth.

"Shhhhhhhhhh."

Charlie nodded rapidly. Eko let him up.

"I was looking for Ana-Lucia."

"I was looking for - for Locke."

Charlie started breathlessly. "You wouldn't believe it. We found another hatch!"

Eko frowned.

"We was looking 'round - Jack said he was finding stuff, that someone was nearby, so - well, I accompanied 'im, and we was finding stuff, and then we found this whole area filled with theserubber plants, and there was a hatch! So he opened it and he wanted to go in, I said, no, we're not going in, we're going back for help, but then something happened and there was - there was _voices,_ like kids, saying something, it was totally bizarre"

Charlie swallowed for the next burst of words.

" Then...he - he was gone. And the - the hatch closed, right there in front of me, and he was _gone_. Locke was _gone_!"

Charlie stared wide eyed at Eko frantically. Eko calmly assessed what Charlie had blurted.

"I heard children's voices as well."

He thought for a moment. "Can you remember where this other hatch was located?"

"Sure - I -I guess, it's down there...but - but you're not seriously thinking of going down there again, are ya? No, _there's something down there_."

"That is precisely why I want to see it."

Charlie fussed breathlessly.

"But can't we go in the daytime? I - I mean - no, of course we can't go in the daytime, _Locke's_ down there, but if we go and we get caught then the whole mission'd be pretty damned _stupid_ then, wouldn't it?"

"We are not going to get caught."

Eko said confidently. Charlie glared incredulously.

"And how can you be sure of that?"

Eko grinned.

"Do not worry. The Divine is with us."

Charlie exhaled deeply.

"Right then. Off we go..."

* * *

The teenagers, starkly unarmed, besides thier leader who kept Ana's gun tucked in her rear jeans pocket, formed a tight circle around Ana as they walked through the forest. Ana wondered how they could be so confident of their ability to harm her, being smaller and mostly unarmed. She had decided not to get a demonstration of the answer to that question. 

After a bit of walking in total silence, the girl who was leading them stopped everyone at a pond. Two of the boys took Ana aside while the girl and several others got a drink and ate some food. After a few minutes, the break was over and they had started walking again. During the trek, some of the kids got chatty and began singing and talking amongst themselves. Ana was starting to find herself becoming strangely fatigued, while the walk didn't seem to have any effect on these children. They were just as happy and carefree as they had been when they had her at their camp. Ana's eyelids grew heavy, and finally her body gave up on walking, demanding rest. She came to her knees. The boys tried to keep her up, but Ana wouldn't go. She lay on the ground, as the children circled around her. Some exchanging angry stares for concerned ones, some seeming altogether exanimate. Ana lay there for a long while, trying to sleep, but being unable to for some reason. She was listless, but exhausted. The kids whispered to each other. Ana tried to keep awake enough to evesdrop but thier whispers muddled together like a muffled tape recorder. The girl who led them knelt over her and stared at her for awhile, a concerned frown on her face. Ana heard a faint:

"She'll be ok, let her alone for awhile."

Then footsteps crunching away. After awhile, the chatter stopped. The noises stopped. Then it was like there had never been anyone there at all.

* * *

Dawn broke through the forest canopy. The light warmed the cold ground and Eko's body. He slowly stirred, and looked about himself. He way lying in a patch of grass in a field. He blinked a few times, cleared his vision, wondered how he had gotten there. Charlie was nearby, sprawled out in slumber. There was a large domed structure nearby, encrusted with vines and weeds. A casualty of time, Eko pondered. He vaguely remembered voices, whispering to him, but he couldn't recall where..._how_ had he gotten here again? 

A noise came from the forest. He came to his feet warily. Shook Charlie awake.

"Huh? Wha? Ahem, where - what happened?"

As everything fogged in to Charlie, the next queued thought was:

"Whoa."

He stared at the building, awed and confused. He heard the noises, then spun to look at the forest. His next thought was:

"Crap. We're bloody sitting ducks."

The noises became louder. Someone came crashing through the bushes. Ana.Ekoexhaled a slight sigh of relief. Ana stopped and stared at the building. She was holding her gun in one hand,looking ratherlost and somewhat disturbed.

"Eko? What're you two doing here?"

Eko turned towards the structure.

"Well..." He said with a tired sigh, "It would seem that we have _all_ been brought here for some reason."

"Brought?"

Ana joined the two, checking the safety of the gun and tuckingit in her rear pocket. "There were some kids...did you see them? Teens, there was girl and some boys...you didn't see any kids come through here?"

"No." Eko shook his head slowly. "Perhaps we were not meant to see them."

This left Ana even more confused. She turned her attentions to the building. "What is this place?"

"You think Locke's here?" Charlie cut in hopefully.

Eko traced his hand around the walls. "I should think so. If we're here."

"_Why_ are we here's what I'd like to know." Ana mused wryly.

A door slid open suddenly as Eko passed it. He started back, preparing to attack something, just as Michael peered outside. His glance was met by equally dazed expressions.

"How did you guys get here?"

"That's the riddle of the day." Ana muttered. Micheal stared.

"What are you doing here?" His voice sounded annoyed.

"Well don't act too happy to see me." Ana replied with a smirk. Micheal stepped outside.

"Well, this is turning out to be a weird morning."

"Tell me about it. What have you been doing in there Mike?" Charlie asked. "Is Locke with you?"

Michael nodded. Charlie eyebrows arched. "He is?"

"He came last night from the underground entrance. You wouldn't believe it. Come on, there's something you've gotta see."

* * *

The four made their way down a narrow set of ragged metal steps. They had previously passed through some sort of lobby that hadn't been in use in ages. Now, Michael had led them down the path he had said Walt had led him. There was a narrow trail of steps that wound down deep into the underground. 

"So, how did you all find your way here anyway?" Micheal inquired. "Locke told me him and Charlie got separated when he found the hatch."

"I wasn't about to go into some dark old hatch at night!" Charlie exclaimed. "I wanted to wait till morning! Of course John couldn't wait. I nearly wet my pants out there in the forest. Mr Eko here found me right when I thought I was losing my mind. I nearly killed him."

He checked back with Eko.

"Sorry about that, by the way."

Eko smiled.

"What about you Ana Lucia?" Asked Micheal. "How'd you manage your way here?"

"I dunno, really. It was the freakiest thing. There were some kids. They grabbed me and I end up here. Real strange stuff."

"Kids huh?" Micheal paused. "I saw Walt." Charlie perked up.

"Really? What - what'd he say? Was it really him?"

Micheal didn't say anything. He looked thoughtful for a moment, then shrugged, shook his head and went on.

"Doesn't matter now."

Finally, they came past a pressurized door which allowed them unnaturally easy access to some sort of laboratory. The room was riddled with antiquated scientific equipment. There were jars filled with decayed, dried and withered specimens, tools for unknown use, and cages lined with newspaper and feathers. Everything was coated with a thin layer of dust, further telling of its age. The four wandered the facility in awe, various thoughts rushing through their minds as to how all this explained their presence on the island. After a few moments and a temporary exit by Michael, he returned with Locke to show them something else.

Michael and Locke brought the rest to a door labeled "Lab #4". Inside, there was a balcony squared off by glass windows, and in thelower part of the room, several tanks elevated vertically, filled with a light blue liquid. Inside each were human bodies, suspended eerily in the liquid.

"I know it may seem strange..." Locke began, "Though I haven't come to be surprised by much I've seen on this island lately, but...I think...even though all this time we've been waiting for someone to find us...I think someone else's been waiting for us to find them."

Ana opened the door that led to the area below. She approached the tanks pensively, not believing what she was seeing. The kids from before, all who'd seemed happy and very much alive, now in front of her, as young as they ever were, unchanged. Their eyes were open but exanimate, expressionless. The girl who had led them now stared ahead, faint traces of her previous spirit written on her pale face, but whatever had been there earlier was no more. Were they alive? Were they dead? The rest of the island seemed to be, why shouldn't they be. Ana swallowed hard. Eko came up behind her.

"What were they doing in here?"

She said in a quiet, horrified tone. Charlie traced his hand along one of the tanks. The same fine dust that covered everything else came off on his finger.

"Who knows." Locke replied, gazing on thoughtfully.

"But it would seem they want us to know."

"I don't understand, these are the kids I saw." Ana said.

"It was what you were meant to see, I suppose. All of us..._they_ brought us here."

"Are they alive?"

"I don't suspect so. In the basement, there are generators. None of them are active. My guess is this facility has been without power for...a long time."

"What do we do now?" Charlie asked. "What _can_ we do?"

No one knew how to answer it. They just stared, both in awe and in horror. Finally Locke said:

"We should bring them home. Whoever they are."

* * *

The glass was smashed and in a surge of water the bodies released. For the first time in forever, the cold bodies of the youths met the warm rays of the tropical sun. Plots were dug near the beachand the castaways, front and tail end, paid their respects to the unknown children. Who had they been? Were they the young victims of experiments by whomever used to run the island? Were they the young survivors of some other crash or perhaps, the children of the Others? They were questions to go unanswered and be buried with them. Some wondered if the strange circumstances of their discovery was a sign of their own journey coming to an end. Or perhaps, it was just yet beginning. In the mind of a certain wondering other, it was true what had been said. 

_"Whatever is hidden will reveal itself. Nothing will remain unavenged."_


End file.
